On March 1, 2025, Associate Professor Dr. Jack Woo, a member and certificate holder of both CPA and ACCA, served as an industry mentor and judge for the CFA Research Challenge. The CFA Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides practical guidance and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics for college students. Students are tested on their skills in analysis, valuation, report writing, and presentation. They gain real-world work experience in the role of a research analyst.

The CFA Research Challenge is a leading global competition for finance students in higher education, conducted entirely in English. This comprehensive challenge tests participants’proficiency in financial analysis, equity valuation, investment research report writing, and professional presentation skills.The competing teams undertake detailed research on designated listed companies, demonstrating their analytical capabilities and mastery of stock research best practices.

After a rigorous preliminary round, nine competing teams advanced to the Shenzhen regional final with their outstanding research reports. In the final, the participating teams presented their in-depth analysis of BYD (SZSE: 0002594) and engaged in a detailed Q&A session with the judging panel. The selected winning team will proceed to the global regional semi-finals.

As an industry mentor in the preliminary round, Dr. Jack Woo was responsible for reviewing the written reports of the participating teams and providing comments on their research reports. As a judge, Dr. Jack Woo evaluated the presentation of the research findings of the participating teams and their responses to the questions from the judging panel. Both the industry mentors and judges are members and volunteers of the CFA Institute.

Writer : Jack Woo

Reviewer: Susee Mo